


Neighborhood Watch

by gingerfic



Series: An Alphabet of Samcedes Stories [14]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Awkward first meeting, F/M, Humor, Shenanigans, dognapping, samcedes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5076634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerfic/pseuds/gingerfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mercedes wasn’t planning for this today, but when there’s a crime underway she can’t just ignore it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Neighborhood Watch

**Author's Note:**

> In the United States some areas have a "neighborhood watch" where the residents all have an agreement to help watch each other's families and homes for crime. 
> 
> Warning for purebred dogs/mention of breeding (we will assume that it’s done ethically and responsibly).

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Mercedes yelled, stepping out onto her porch in spite of the fact that she was in a fluffy yellow bathrobe, red poofy slippers, and her hair was tied up in a bright blue and pink kerchief on her head. Normally she wouldn’t think of going outside in her haven’t-yet-showered weekend morning ensemble, but serious events call for serious actions.

“You, there, stop!” she hollered into the next yard, where a tall blond man was carrying her neighbor’s purebred chow chow off the porch and out into their front yard. Mercedes had to admit that the little fluffball of a dog could be annoying, but she knew that old Mrs. Dunwitty adored him. She also knew that Mister Tootsie was a breeder, and that Mrs. Dunwitty depended on the breeding fees to help supplement her pension.

And now someone was trying to steal him.

Well, not if Mercedes Jones could do anything about it.

Unfortunately, the dog thief seemed to be ignoring Mercedes, so she took a deep breath, grabbed her broom, and stormed off the porch to confront him at the property line.

“Stop, don’t you dare take that dog anywhere!” she repeated to the criminal, holding her broom out with the bristles facing him.

“Excuse me?” The tall man looked confused, but he didn’t set Mister Tootsie back on the ground. From this closer perspective Mercedes could also see that he had a leash wrapped around his arm. It wasn’t the baby blue studded one (that matched his collar) that Mrs. Dunwitty always used. Further evidence of thievery!

“I said, that’s not your dog, take him back or I will call the cops.” Mercedes had a momentary panic as she realized that her cell phone was still in the house and not in her pocket (because who keeps a cell phone in the pocket of their bathrobe...and oh dear she was now on the front sidewalk in her bathrobe and fuzzy slippers). “I’m serious, Mister. Take the dog back, now!”

“But I--” the (admittedly attractive) dognapper started.

“No. Dog, house, now!” Mercedes commanded, pushing at his legs with the bristles of the broom and shooing him back up the front walk.

As the blond man backed awkwardly up Mrs. Dunwitty’s front steps (with Mercedes’ broom still poking at his calves), Mrs. Dunwitty leaned out her front door.

“It’s ok Mrs. Dunwitty,” Mercedes said reassuringly. “I saved Mister Tootsie.”

The dognapper somehow had the gumption to still be holding Mister Tootsie, and Mrs. Dunwitty looked back and forth between him and Mercedes.

“What?” Mrs. Dunwitty asked, clearly confused. “Are you back from the park already? I must be getting old. That went so much faster than I expected it to…”

“No,” the man blurted with a quick glare at Mercedes. “I haven’t been able to take Mister Tootsie on his walk yet Ma’am. This woman here seemed to think that I was trying to steal him, and chased me back here with a broom!”

“Walk?” Mercedes echoed softly.

“Yes,” Mrs. Dunwitty nodded. “Sam here is my new dog walker. My hip isn’t what it used to be and I just can’t take Mister Tootsie out like he likes. But Sam was going to take him to the park and play with him a while.”

“Oh,” Mercedes was feeling very self-conscious now, and found herself backing down the front walk, broom clasped tightly between her hands as though it might not be noticed if she held it close enough to her body. “Oh lord, I’m so sorry, I thought, I mean… I’m so sorry!”

And she ran home, bolting the door behind herself before she could die of embarrassment (either over the mistake or over the fact that she’d just chased someone around the neighborhood with a broom while wearing a bathrobe and slippers).

\-----

An hour later, showered but still feeling some residual embarrassment, Mercedes heard a knock on her front door. She wasn’t expecting anyone so she peeked through the window first.

It was the dog walker.

“Ah hell to the no,” she muttered, ducking behind the curtain and rapidly deciding to pretend that she was not at home.

He knocked a few more times before giving up and leaving.

Mercedes was just getting up when she heard footsteps on her front porch and dove for the floor again. (It wasn’t the most graceful of options, but it was efficient!) No one knocked this time though, and the footsteps retreated as quickly as they had come. After a few minutes, Mercedes rolled up onto her knees and peeked out the window. She saw nothing on the porch. So she got up and opened the door, and found a piece of paper wedged in by the handle. Carefully she unfolded it.

_Hi, sorry about all that awkwardness. Chasing an innocent_   
_dogwalker down the street with a broom may actually be even_   
_more embarrassing than being an innocent dogwalker who_   
_gets mistaken for a thief. If it’s any comfort to you, it’s not the_   
_first time it’s happened. Well, the mistaken part, not the broom_   
_part. The broom thing was new. Quick thinking on your part._   
_Anyway, if I may now add to the awkwardness, I think you’re_   
_very attractive. Yes, even in the bathrobe. And I’m hoping you’ll_   
_let me meet up with you sometime under less awkward_   
_circumstances. Perhaps lunch? Tomorrow?_   
_I wish I could have talked to you about this in person, but I_   
_have to go walk other dogs, and I don’t have your number, and_   
_I didn’t want to wait to randomly bump into you again._   
_Please text me either way. I promise I won’t be mad if you_   
_say no, just, I had to ask._   
_Sam 765-4321_

Mercedes took a deep breath, bit her lip, and got out her cell phone. Yesterday she would have said this was the craziest thing she had ever done, but after chasing a guy around the neighborhood with a broom while wearing a bathrobe, well, texting that guy about a lunch date was definitely only the second craziest thing she had ever done.


End file.
